[1] It contains many autobiographical references to Spark's early career and was reprinted in 2001 by New Directions, in the US, and in 2007 by Virago Press in the UK (with a foreword by Mark Lawson).

She manages to secure a job working for Sir Quentin Oliver as secretary to his Autobiographical Association, whose eccentric members intend to write their memoirs.

(As is true of other of Spark's novels, there is much play on the inter-relationship of texts, with Newman's Apologia and Cellini's Autobiography constituting Fleur's essential reading.)

As Fleur assists the club members she begins to notice that parts of her novel start to occur in real life.

She begins to suspect that Sir Quentin may be blackmailing, poisoning or corrupting the association's members.